Friends From Two Lands
by sleepidove
Summary: 'This is horrible...The one thing we need is gone, and only I can find it.' That's what she thought. But then she met another pegasus, who seems to want to help her with her task. And that was just the beginning.
1. Chapter 1- An Interesting Place

Friends From Two Lands

 **A/N: Hey, everyone! Guess what?!**

 **Aqua: There's something that kinda sets this story apart from the others we did…but not really. But it does. Sort of. No it doesn't…AAAAAGH!**

 **Solar: One OC in here isn't ours.**

 **Audience: *GAAAAAAAAASP***

 ***Holds hands up* Calm down! We didn't steal a random stranger's OC or anything!**

 **Audience: Oh.**

 **Summer: The OC we're using is a friend's. So, credit goes to her for Featherfern…(Whispers) That's the OC's name!**

 **Anyway, this story is about two ponies who one day meet, and end up…Well, I won't spoil it for you. You'll have to read to find out!**

 **Aqua: So, without further ado…**

 **All: Enjoy!**

 _This is horrible…The one thing,_ the one thing _we needed is gone, and only I can find it…or that's what they say._

Featherfern grit her teeth, struggling against the wind's strength. This was nothing like home, or Canterlot, or Manehattan…One thing was clear.

She had just left Equestria.

Now, she was in a strange place. She hoped this place wasn't dangerous in any way. But then again, how could _that_ be true?

 _There's no way it's that dangerous! I've been trained to do this stuff! I don't need to—_

Her thoughts were cut off as what appeared to be a grey pegasus knocked into her, and a pain hit her left wing. She barely had time to glance at it, but she knew already.

Her wing had been broken.

Featherfern shrieked as she began falling. She thought she noticed a cloud, so hopefully that would soften her fall. But…what if she fell through it?

* * *

Crescent Wing licked her lips as she picked up her starflower sandwich. It was the first time in a while she tasted something like this, and she was excited to bite into something from her homeland after days of food from another land.

 _This is going to be great!_ She thought as she leaned forward to take a bite of the sandwich and…

She yelped as she was suddenly falling through the cloud, with a purple pegasus above her.

 _What the heck?! Who is this?! What are they doing here?!_

Crescent would have to find out these things later. Now, she had to get her and this pegasus to safety.

Clutching the pegasus, she tried to flap her wings. So far, she was failing, and they weren't far from the ground. She couldn't fail. She couldn't let this pegasus die.

Finally, she managed to fly up and onto another cloud. Placing the pegasus on the soft surface, she landed beside her.

The pegasus groaned. "Wh-what the…?" She looked up at Crescent. "Who are you?"

"I'm Crescent Wing. You?"

"F-Featherfern."

Crescent nodded. "So, Featherfern, what caused you to suddenly knock me out of a cloud?"

"Someone knocked into me, and my wing…well…" Featherfern looked at her wing.

Crescent gasped. "It's broken!"

"Yeah, that's what I was about to say," Featherfern nervously chuckled.

"We need to get that fixed," Crescent said, standing up. "And I know just the pony to do it."

"Who?" Featherfern asked, also standing.

"Starstrike. She's a friend of mine. She'll know how to fix that wing. I'll take you to her!"

As Crescent flew away from the cloud, Featherfern in her hooves, Featherfern looked down at the land below them. In the distance, she thought she could see a few islands.

"What are those islands?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Those are the Isles of The Elements," Crescent answered. "My home."

"Oh." Featherfern said nothing for a moment. "Um…Sorry for knocking into you earlier."

"Don't worry about it," Crescent said. "But you should be careful when flying around here. Some of the Wind ponies can be pretty fast."

"What ponies?"

"Wind ponies."

To say Featherfern was confused would be an understatement. "W-Wind ponies? What do you…?"

"They're a type of Elesi," Crescent said.

"What's an 'Elesi'?"

Crescent sighed. "You never heard about our species?"

"No."

"I'll tell you when we get to the Lunar Reef. We're almost there, anyway."

* * *

Featherfern looked around in awe. "Wow…"

"Pretty cool, I know," Crescent said. "This is just one of the towns here. This one's called Silvercloud Town."

"…Silvercloud?"

"You know, like how the clouds look grey at night?"

Featherfern stared blankly at Crescent.

"…Nevermind." Crescent shook her head. "For now, we should get you to Starstrike."

* * *

Starstrike looked up from her book as Crescent and Featherfern walked in. "Oh, hi, Cres—" She gasped when she saw Featherfern. "Is that…an Equestrian?!"

"Well, yes, but why did you guess just that?" Featherfern asked. "I mean, I could be a Maretonian."

"What's a Maretonian?" Starstrike asked.

"It's a place," Featherfern answered. "It's outside of Equestria. I'm assuming you never heard of it?"

"I don't think any of us had," Crescent said.

Featherfern sighed. "I see."

Starstrike trotted over to the two. "So, Crescent, and…what's your name?"

"Featherfern."

"Alright. Crescent, Featherfern, what do you guys need?"

"Well, a pegasus knocked into Featherfern a few minutes ago," Crescent said. "And her wing broke."

Starstrike's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

" _No_ , I'm just joking," Crescent said. "Her wing's fine! No need to worry at _all_."

Starstrike narrowed her eyes. "If I had a bit for every time you did that…" she said quietly.

Crescent laughed. "Relax, I'm joking."

Starstrike smiled, though it was clear she was still not amused. "Okay, then. Featherfern, come with me. I'll fix that wing up."

Featherfern nodded, and went into another room with the pegasus.

* * *

For the few minutes Featherfern and Starstrike were in that room, Crescent just sat there and read a couple of books.

"Something, something, he's so handsome, something," Crescent grumbled. "I'll never understand why Starstrike has these."

She looked up as she heard the door open. Starstrike and Featherfern, who now had a wing-cast, walked into the room.

"Hey, guys!" Crescent grinned. "How'd the check-up…or…whatever you call it go?"

Starstrike face-hooved. "I…Crescent, I just…No."

Crescent snickered. "Anyway, how'd it go?"

"It went great!" Featherfern said. "Your friend is a great doctor."

"Thank you," Starstrike said. "I…try my best." She lightly blushed.

"You're looking a little red there, Star." Crescent smirked.

" _Oh my Okeasis, Crescent!_ "

* * *

"So, Featherfern," Crescent said. "Did you want to…go somewhere?"

Featherfern froze. "Um...I'm…not interested in dating at the moment."

Crescent burst into laughter. "I just…Oh my gosh, Featherfern…That's not what I meant!"

"Oh…In that case, sure!" Featherfern smiled. "Where do you want to go?"

"Well, there's this great café not too far away," Crescent said. "Did you want to go there?"

"That sounds good."

* * *

Featherfern stared at the menu, eyes wide. "All this stuff…it's so new…"

"I guess it'd be new to someone outside our land," Crescent said. "What catches your eye?"

"Everything…"

"Yeah, yeah, be serious, Feather."

"Okay…Well, the Moonbud Noodle Soup sounds really good."

"Oh, yeah, that's my favorite too. Those Moonbuds…they're so sweet, yet spicy…I don't know _how_ they do it," Crescent said, looking up from her menu. "But I think I'll just order the Starflower Sandwich." She chuckled. "Which I was eating when we first met…"

"Oh, yeah, I thought I saw a sandwich when I knocked you out of that cloud," Featherfern said. "That's what it was?"

"Yeah!" Crescent looked back down. "So, now we have to decide what to drink…"

"Let's see," Featherfern said. "The mango juice sounds nice."

"I think I'll get the Star-Pop." Crescent closed her menu and put it on the table. "So, Featherfern...I was just wondering, what exactly were you doing flying around our place?"

"Oh…well…" Featherfern rubbed her arm. "You see…I was looking for a crystal."

 **Solar: *Glares***

… **What?**

 **Solar: *Points to username***

 **Come on! (Sigh) You're never going to stop talking about that, are you?**

 **Solar: Nope.**

 **-_- Anyway…Yeah. Featherfern's talking about a crystal. And my username has the word "crystal" in it.**

 **Summer: The last time you used "Crystal"…well…**

 **Don't worry, it'll end well this time. It's not the name of a character, right?**

 **Summer: Yeah…**

 **Winter: Anyway, please review.**

 **Solar: And no flaming! *Tail catches on fire* OH YOU'VE GOTTA BE—**

 **All: See ya! :D**


	2. Chapter 2- The Spirit Crystal

Chapter 2— The Spirit Crystal

 **A/N: Hey, guys!**

 **Aqua: Looks like we uploaded two chapters in one day!**

 **Solar: *Blows party horn***

 **Summer: Okay, guys, this isn't the first time you did it.**

 **Yeah, we know. :3**

 **Summer: (Sigh) ANYWAY…Featherfern explains the "crystal" she's talking about, and Crescent talks about her home a bit. And other stuff happens.**

 **Winter: REPLY TIME! In reply to bluecatcinema: Thanks! :D We will!**

 ***Drumroll in the background* And now…**

 **Summer: Please don't. -_-**

 ***Anime sweatdrop* Um…anyway…**

 **All: Enjoy!**

"A…crystal?" Crescent tilted her head.

"Yes, a crystal," Featherfern said. "I was looking for that when the pegasus knocked into me…it's known as the Spirit Crystal."

"Why do you need it?"

"Well…" Featherfern sighed. "There's this thing…deep in the Earth…that keeps the world in balance. For some reason, it's been damaged. Someone must have done something to it. But anyway, we need the crystal to heal this thing, or…" She gulped. "I don't know _what_ will happen. But I know it won't be good."

Crescent shuddered. "That sounds rather terrifying."

Featherfern nodded.

"But…why you? Surely a lot of ponies would be concerned, right?"

For some reason, Featherfern looked a little…nervous. "Well, not many ponies know about it. And this gr…" She paused. "When I heard about it, I just wanted to…see if I could find it."

"But how do you know where to look?" Crescent asked. "It seems kind of weird how you'd look here of all places instead of Equestria."

"Well…I sort of know where the crystal is located. I heard the location is somewhere around here."

The two stopped talking for a moment as the waiter arrived with their food.

"So, Featherfern," Crescent said after the waiter left, picking up her sandwich. "What's the name of the place? That is, if you know the name." She took a bite of her food.

"It's called the Spirit Reef," Featherfern said.

Crescent's eyes widened, and she choked on her sandwich.

"Oh my gosh!" Featherfern gasped. "Are you okay?!"

Crescent managed to swallow her bite of the sandwich, and stared at Featherfern in shock. " _What_?!"

"...I said—" Featherfern began.

"No, I know what you said, but…" Crescent leaned forward. " _Do you even know about the Spirit Reef_?!"

"Um, no, but I _do_ know everypony is staring at you," Featherfern said.

Crescent looked around. Indeed, everyone was looking at the two.

"Um…" Crescent awkwardly smiled. "Don't worry, nothing to see here…"

* * *

"Okay, about the Spirit Ree—" Featherfern began once they left the café.

" _Don't say that_!" Crescent yelled. "Well, okay, you can say it and all, but…Featherfern, that place…"

"What about it?" Featherfern asked.

"It's the most dangerous place in the Isles. It's so dark at night, there are monsters _everywhere_ …" Crescent looked down for a moment. "At least, that's what I heard…" She looked back up. "And I actually know the crystal you're talking about!"

Featherfern blinked. "But you said—"

"The name sounded familiar, I just didn't really remember for a moment," Crescent said. "But anyway, the Spirit Crystal is at the _heart_ of the Spirit Reef. It's far more dangerous there. We'd need a pony from every reef to go in there and come out alive."

" _Every_ reef?" Featherfern said. "There's more than one?"

"Yeah!" Crescent said. "There are six in total. These groups are based off the Four Elements, except—"

"There are six elements."

"What?" Crescent gave Featherfern a look. "No, there are four, just because—"

"No, there are six."

Crescent sighed. "This is another Equestria thing, isn't it?"

"…You're not talking about the Elements of Harmony, are you?"

"No, what are those?"

"Oh, they're not important, just things— _They saved Equestria time and time again_!" Featherfern yelled.

Crescent stood there, eyes wide. "…Right," She whispered. "Anyway, yeah, the Elements the Isles are based off of are Fire, Earth, Water, and Wind. And then there's the Solar and Lunar groups, for some reason." She grinned. "I'm actually both Solar and Lunar."

Featherfern looked surprised. "You're…a mix?"

"Yeah," Crescent said. "The strange thing is…" Her expression became thoughtful. "There are mixes between Water and Wind, or Fire and Earth, sometimes even things like Earth and Solar. But so far, I'm the only known mix between a Reef from both the Solar and Lunar side."

"Side?" Featherfern said.

Crescent nodded. "The six groups are divided into sides. The Solar, Earth, and Fire Reefs are on one side, and the Lunar, Water, and Wind Reefs are on the other. We have a good relationship with the Solar side, but it's not exactly the best. There's a reason I'm the only known Solar and Lunar mix…Because we may get along, but we don't get along that well. Of course, if an outside force attacks one side, the other will help, but otherwise we don't communicate."

"Oh," Featherfern said. "But then how are you both Solar and Lunar?"

"My Dad says he met my Mom in the Spirit Reef outside the cave. It's safe there. They kept meeting there, they fell in love, soon they had me," Crescent said, slightly waving her hoof around. "And then apparently my Mom had to leave my Dad. She didn't want to, but she was supposedly a guard in the Solar Reef, and she had to continue her job. I haven't met her. Yet."

Featherfern nodded. "I see…So, Crescent…about the Spirit Reef? Remember when you said it would take a pony from every Reef to survive in there?"

"Yeah?"

"What if you went and got a pony from all the Reefs? Well, aside from Solar and Lunar, because…" She shrugged. "You're Solar and Lunar."

"That's…a great idea!" Crescent smiled widely. "Featherfern, you're a genius! I don't know _why_ I'm trusting someone I just met, but what the heck? You haven't attacked me yet!"

Featherfern snickered. "No, I haven't. So, maybe I'll just go home and get some items while you go meet some other ponies?"

"That sounds great!" Crescent nodded. "I'll meet you back at the café in a week?"

"That—" Featherfern paused and looked at her broken wing. "Oh…my wing's still broken. I forgot."

"Don't worry," Crescent said. "I'll fly you home. After all, we've done this before."

"Yeah, and you'll get to taste a Hayburger!" Featherfern said. "I mean, if you haven't already."

"What's a Hayburger?" Crescent asked as she picked Featherfern up and started flying away.

Featherfern smiled wider. "Just another Equestria thing."

* * *

Later that evening, when Crescent brought Featherfern back to Equestria and flew back home, she started thinking about which Reef she would visit first.

"I think I'll get the Solar side over with," she said. "But which Reef?"

After thinking for a moment, she smiled.

"It's settled. I'll start with Fire."

 **A/N: And that's Chapter 2!**

 **Aqua: Next chapter, we're visiting the others Reefs…well, except for the Solar Reef. But otherwise…*Puts on sunglasses* We're going on a field trip!**

 ***Facepalm* This isn't a school.**

 **Aqua: I know, I'm kidding.**

 **Solar: Um…anyways…yeah. That's what'll happen the next few chapters.**

 **Summer: Until then, please review!**

 **Solar: And no flaming! *Tail catches on fire* THIS IS ABSOLUTELY INSANE!**

 **All: See ya! :D**


	3. Chapter 3- Sunburnt

Chapter 3— Sunburnt

 **A/N: Hey, guys!**

 **Aqua: Today Crescent visits the Fire Reef, and finds a pony to add to her and Featherfern's team.**

 **Solar: Hey, guys, guess what?**

 **Everyone: What?**

 **Solar: I made a pizza!**

 **Summer: Really? How'd it go?**

 **Solar: I burnt down our entire kitchen.**

… **ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!**

 **Solar: Nope.**

 **Winter: *Facepaw***

 **(Sigh) As we're fixing the kitchen…**

 **All: Enjoy!**

Crescent tried not to show her fear as she entered the Fire Reef. That didn't change the fact that she was terrified.

 _Okay, Crescent, you can do this,_ she thought. _Just find somepony to add to the team, and get out of here. It's simple as that._

She looked around. _Okay, let's see…_

She saw a pony shouting—nearly _screaming_ —at another pony.

She shuddered. _Nope. Too angered…and too loud._

She saw another pony rolling her eyes as she looked at the scene.

 _Eh…maybe._

She continued walking through the town. After nearly an hour of searching, she stopped by a building.

"This is ridiculous," she said aloud. "I heard sometimes it's hard to find the thing you're looking for, but surely there's a pony here who I can ask to join me and Featherfern, right?"

Just as she was about to give up, she saw a pony sit down at a table outside of a building.

 _Is that a café?_ Crescent shook her head. _Okay, I'll dwell on that later. For now, the pony._

The pony smiled and thanked the waiter as they put down the menu. As she looked through it, Crescent studied her facial expression. She appeared calmer than the other ponies. That smile on her face, the calmness in her eyes…This was the pony she was looking for.

Now, she just needed to convince the pony to join the team. Well, it wasn't a team yet, but…

Crescent cleared her throat as she walked over to the pony. "Um…hi."

The pony looked at her, and narrowed her eyes, frowning. "…Hi."

"Uh…" Crescent bit her lip. "I'm Crescent Wing."

The pony didn't move an inch. "I'm assuming you're from the Lunar Tribe."

"How'd you…?!" Crescent took a step back. "W-well, I'm part Lunar, but—"

"And part what?" The pony asked.

"Er…well…" Crescent gave a nervous smile. "N-never mind that. What's your name?"

"Sunburnt."

Crescent nodded. "So, Sunburnt, the reason I came here is because yesterday I met this Equestrian named Featherfern."

"An Equestrian?" Sunburnt said. "What would an Equestrian be doing here?"

"That's the thing," Crescent said. "She's here because she's looking for the Spirit Crystal."

"That kind of rings a bell." Sunburnt put a hoof on her chin. "Where's this Spirit Crystal located?"

"In…" Crescent shivered. "The Spirit Reef."

Sunburnt's eyes widened. "Oh…my…Okeasis…Now I know what you mean."

"Yeah." Crescent nodded. "And since the crystal is in the middle of the Spirit Reef, we'll need a pony from every Reef."

"I'm in!" Sunburnt stood up from her chair.

"Whoa, that was fast…"

"You two are _not_ going in that cave yourself! You'll need defense. And that's the passion of almost everyone here, including me." Sunburnt gave a confident grin.

Crescent sighed in relief. "Thank you. So much."

"Anytime," Sunburnt said. "So, how many more Reefs do you need to visit?"

"This is the first one, so I just need to visit three more and the team will be formed."

"Three more?" Sunburnt asked. "Don't you mean four more?"

"Well, we've got Solar and Lunar covered already."

"But—" Sunburnt froze. "Wait…didn't you say you were _part_ Lunar?"

"Yeah."

Sunburnt's eyes widened. "…You're part Solar, too."

"Last time I checked, I was."

"I just…wow. Never in my _whole life_ have I seen a Solar and Lunar mix…"

"Yeah, so far I'm the only known one." Crescent looked down. "But sometimes I get the feeling there's another mix like me out there."

"Eh, who knows?" Sunburnt asked. "I had a feeling someone would come up to me and ask me something absolutely random."

"Well…I came up to you and asked you something."

"Exactly."

"Excuse me, miss," the waiter said to Crescent as she walked by their table. "But are you going to order something here?"

"Oh!" Crescent slowly backed away. "S-Sorry! I was just talking with this mare and…" She turned to Sunburnt. "We'll continue discussing things tomorrow, I guess?"

"Sounds good." Sunburnt nodded. "See you tomorrow."

Crescent was ready to collapse when she returned to the Fire Reef the next day. Why?

She had to walk the whole way there, dragging two targets behind her. Doing that tends to drain your energy.

Crescent sighed as she dropped to the ground. How heavy were these targets? Her father _specifically said_ they were easy to carry.

 _Yeah, Dad, they're easy to carry,_ she thought. _To you._

"Hey, Crescent!"

Crescent looked up, and saw Sunburnt trotting over to her.

"H-Hi, Sunburnt…" she croaked, attempting to stand up. "What's up?"

She felt the targets being lifted off her.

"Not much, I was just looking for you," Sunburnt said as she dropped them beside Crescent. "Why were you carrying these things?"

"Oh…well…" Crescent shakily stood up. "You said fighting was your passion the other day, and I kind of wanted to see how strong you were."

"That's no problem." Sunburnt glanced at the targets. "Hey…what did your Dad say about the targets? Like, what if I were to break them?"

Crescent smiled. "My Dad actually makes these targets. He said that it wouldn't be a dilemma if these things got burned, broken, lost—"

Sunburnt covered her mouth. " _Please_ don't start listing off a thousand ways these could be destroyed."

Crescent lowered Sunburnt's hoof. "Heh…sorry."

A few minutes later, Crescent had the targets set up in front of a few trees.

"Alright, let's see what you can do!" she said, grinning, sitting beside the trees.

Sunburnt smirked, and dashed toward the targets.

Crescent's jaw dropped as the smaller target was smashed in a second.

"What…the…" She whispered. "Okay then. Let's…see what you do to the bigger one."

Sunburnt nodded, and charged at the second target.

It didn't take long for that one to break either.

Crescent couldn't believe her eyes. "…That takes effort."

"It's what happens when you train," Sunburnt said. "You should do that."

"I tried that once with my Dad." Crescent shivered. "I still remember that day…"

"You alright?"

"Er, yeah." Crescent stood up. "To put it simply, last time I trained, it didn't end well."

"I remember my first training," Sunburnt chuckled. "It was something. So, Crescent, about the other Reefs. How many have you visited before now?"

"Just the Water and Wind Reefs," Crescent said. "I'll visit them after the Earth Reef."

"Alright, then," Sunburnt said. "I'll see you in…"

"A week? At the Spirit Reef?"

"Sounds good. See you then."

 **A/N: And that's chapter 3!**

 **Solar: The kitchen is finally back to normal!**

 **All: YAY!**

 **Solar: And now to make another pizza!**

 **All: NO! D=**

 **Um, uh, anyway, please review!**

 **Solar: And no flaming! *Tail catches on fire* …Uh, forget the pizza, guys, this tail might burn down the place.**

 **All: See ya! :D**


	4. Chapter 4- Meadow Lark

Chapter 4— Meadow Lark

 **A/N: Hey, everyone! Sorry for being absent for a couple of months! It's been real busy.**

 **Aqua: But now we're back, and** _ **hopefully**_ **we won't be absent this long for a while.**

 **Solar: So, in this chapter, Crescent visits the Earth Reef, meets a new pony, blah, blah, that fun stuff.**

 **Summer: It's going to be like this for every chapter…**

 **Actually, no, it'll be like this for two chapters.**

 **Summer: Oh. ._.**

 **Aqua: REPLY TIME! In reply to bluecatcinema: Yeah, it really is. :)**

 **And more friendships shall be formed in this chapter.**

 **All: Enjoy! :D**

Crescent didn't know what to expect when she set foot on the Earth Reef. Out of all the Reefs, she studied this one the least. It was a very overlooked Reef, she heard. She would just have to see what it's like.

It had only been a few minutes since Crescent entered the Reef, and she found a wooden cottage near a river. A mare walked out of the house, carrying a watering can in her mouth.

 _Could this be the right mare?_ Crescent thought, beginning to trot over to the mare.

The mare noticed Crescent, put down her watering can, and turned around. "Hello."

Crescent jumped. "Oh! H-Hi."

"Where are you from?"

"Well, I'm from the Lunar Side—"

"No, really?" The mare cut her off. "I thought you were from this Side."

"…Yeah, I guess that was obvious," Crescent said. "Anyway, I'm from the Lunar Reef."

"What do you need?" The mare asked.

"Well, you see, this Equestrian named Featherfern is looking for the Spirit Crystal."

"Spirit Crystal?" The mare narrowed her eyes.

"Yeah, she needs it to heal this thing that keeps the world in balance," Crescent said. "Well, I think she said that."

"So you're looking for a crystal that'll save the world?" The mare asked.

"Yeah. We'll need a pony from every Reef to find it. And I was wondering if you wanted to join us."

The mare said nothing for a moment. "Hm…sounds interesting. I guess I'll tag along."

"Great!" Crescent grinned. "I'll meet you at the Spirit Reef in a week, then?"

The mare froze. "Did you just say the Spirit Reef?"

"Yeah."

The mare walked closer to Crescent. "You do realize that's the most dangerous place in the Isles, right?! It's flooded with monsters, darker than the night itself, and—"

"And you can get lost easily, I know," Crescent said. "That's why I was asking you if you wanted to join us."

"I already agreed," the mare said. "I'm not changing my mind now."

Crescent smiled. "Th-thank you. This means so much to us."

"Us? As in you and the Equestrian?"

"No, I meant me and my pet rock, of course." Crescent smirked.

The mare smiled. "Nice sarcasm."

"Thanks," Crescent chuckled. "I just realized I never learned your name."

"I'm Meadow Lark," the mare said. "You?"

"Crescent Wing."

"Yep, definitely from the Lunar Reef."

* * *

Crescent eyed a certain plant. "What's that?"

"Oh, this?" Meadow lightly poked the plant. "It's called a Sun Feather."

Crescent's eyes widened. "Sun Feather?"

"Yeah, why?" Meadow asked.

Crescent blinked a couple of times, and shook her head. "I-i-it's nothing. I just…thought of something."

"What did you think of?"

"Nothing." Crescent looked at Meadow. "So, does the plant have any…unique traits?"

"Well, I've read that this plant can…protect you, or something." Meadow stroked the plant. "I don't know why, it just…says that."

Crescent looked down, swallowing a lump in her throat.

"You okay?" Meadow asked.

"Um, yeah," Crescent replied, sighing. "I get lost in thought like this."

Another minute or two of silence.

"Crescent?" Meadow nudged the quiet pegasus. "Crescent, you alive?"

Crescent snapped out of her trance. "Huh?!"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"Why do you zone out like that?" Meadow cocked her head to the side.

"W-well…" Crescent bit her lip. "You see…my mother was named after that plant."

"Wait…" In a split second, Meadow and Crescent's noses were touching, with Meadow's eyes narrowed. "You said you were from the Lunar Reef," Meadow said.

Crescent took a step back. "Y-yeah."

"Why would your _mother_ be named after something from the _Solar_ Side?"

"Well…" Crescent nervously rubbed her arm. "My mother was from the Solar Reef."

Meadow's jaw dropped. "B-but, that's…How did…There aren't any…Normally mixes would…" She put a hoof on her head, clearly struggling to process what she just heard. "How? I mean, I've heard of mixes of Earth and Fire…or Water and Lunar, but…A mix of both sides?!" Meadow sighed, shaking her head. "The last time something like this happened…"

"Wait, hold up!" Crescent's eyes widened. " _Last time_?!"

Meadow didn't look at Crescent for a short while. When she did, her face seemed full of worry. "There was another mix I heard of. But…they're…"

"Dead?"

"What?! No!" Meadow looked away once more. "Something just happened. That's all."

"O-Oh…"

* * *

"Is there any supplies you'll need for this trip?" Meadow asked Crescent, as the two sat by a nearby river.

"Well, the pony from the Fire Reef will bring the lighting, but…" Crescent nervously smiled. "I haven't necessarily figured out the snacks or anything else yet—"

"I can make the snacks!" Meadow perked up. "I can bake some things for us to eat!"

That's when Crescent took note of Meadow's Cutie Mark: A pink bowl, with what appeared to be a wooden spoon in it.

 _Oh. Baking is her special talent. That explains it,_ Crescent thought.

"Really?" she asked.

"Of course!" Meadow's smile widened. "I've been baking for a while now, so you don't need to worry about anything tasting bad!"

"Heh…thank Okeasis!"

"Yeah. Good thing my brother isn't around…he'd offer to bake, and…" Meadow shivered. "Let's say his baking isn't that…amazing."

Crescent blinked. "Oh, wow."

"Heh, yeah." Meadow stood up. "Well, I should be going. My brother's likely worried about me."

"Alright." Crescent also stood up. "See you in a few days, then?"

Meadow nodded. "See you soon."

 **A/N: And that's Chapter 4!**

 **Aqua: Next up: The Water Reef!**

 **Solar: I swear, this is basically a world…anyway, ple—**

 **Summer: Please review!**

 **Solar: (I SWEAR TO—) And no flaming! *Tail catches on fi—* *Puts tail in water and puts out fire* HA HA!**

 **All: See ya!**


	5. Chapter 5- Pond Lily

Chapter 5— Pond Lily

 **Me: HEY Y'ALL! GUESS WHO'S BACK AFTER LIKE A MILLION YEARS!**

 **Solar: YEAH, GUESS WHO DECIDED TO GET OFF THEIR #SS—**

 **Me: SOLAR THIS IS A KIDS SHOW.**

 **Aqua: It's a fanfiction… (under breath) if you can call it that.**

 **Me: ANYHOW, it's Friends From Two Lands time!**

 **Summer: In this chapter, Crescent visits the Water Reef, and, as she meets a pony who agrees to join her and Featherfern's team, learns a little more about the thing deep in the Earth that they're trying to save.**

 **Winter: And it's not pleasant info…**

 **Solar: Spoilers.**

 **Me: *facepalm* Well, anyhow…**

 **All: Enjoy!**

 _Ah, a Reef in the Lunar Side. For once, I'll feel safer._

Crescent sighed in relief, slowly walking into the Water Reef. Despite not being as advanced as the other Reefs, it was a beautiful place. Marble buildings, paths made of light gray brick, and waterfalls, lakes, different bodies of water here and there…No wonder Starstrike wouldn't stop rambling about it a month ago.

Crescent has only been here once before, but she agreed with Starstrike. This was a nice place.

But there was no time to dwell on its' beauty. Crescent had to find a pony from here, and get them to join the team. Taking a deep breath, she walked a little faster.

No luck.

She asked a couple of ponies, but they didn't believe her, or they just freaked out and refused.

At this point, she was surprised this didn't happen in the Fire or Earth Reefs. The Fire Reef was said to have rude or angry ponies, for crying out loud!

That must have been some silly stereotype. Oh, just _wait_ until she shares the news that she met a Fire pony that's actually nice—

"Ow!" Crescent yelped as she walked headfirst into a sign. Rubbing her forehead, she saw that the sign read "RiverFall Library".

She sighed. _I should take a break, anyway,_ she thought, trotting into the building.

Crescent sat down at a wooden table, with a book about the different kinds of plant life in the Water Reef. She wasn't truly interested in _learning_ about them, but she would look kind of weird sitting at a library table, alone, without a book.

As she began to read—and by read she meant turning the pages while thinking about how she was going to find a pony—she heard someone sit beside her, but ignored it.

That is, until the pony spoke.

"Are you from this Reef?"

Crescent looked up, and didn't notice who said it until she turned and saw the pony staring at her.

"O-oh, um…" She felt really awkward at that moment. "No…why do you ask?"

"Oh, well, I was simply wondering," the pony said. "You didn't look like the type of pony who was born in the Water Reef."

Crescent nodded. "Oh…well, I'm from the Lunar Reef. I came here because…" She looked away.

"N-never mind, it's a silly reason, you won't believe it."

"I might!" The pony slid a little closer. "Just tell me."

"Well, alright," Crescent sighed. "A few days ago, I encountered an Equestrian. She came here looking for…" She paused. "Looking for the Spirit Crystal."

The pony gasped. "Spirit Crystal?! As in, the one in the Spirit Reef?"

Crescent nodded. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"I actually do!" the pony said.

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah! I usually go by my instincts, and, well, I have a feeling you're telling the truth." The pony smiled.

"I…" Crescent sighed in relief, returning the smile. "Thank you so much."

"No problem," the pony replied. "So, about the Equestrian, what does she need the Spirit Crystal for?"

"Well, apparently there's something deep in the Earth that is damaged, and only the Spirit Crystal can heal it."

"Thing deep in the…" The pony stood up. "One second…" She walked into an aisle.

Seconds later, she came back with a large book, carefully placing it on the table. "A thing deep in the Earth, you say?" she asked.

"Yeah," Crescent replied, leaning over to get a glimpse of the cover, which was simply the sun and moon with what appeared to be a crystal between them.

The pony nodded, opening the book. "By the way, I realized I never got your name. What is it?"

"Oh, I'm Crescent Wing!"

"I'm Pond Lily." The pony smiled, then looked back down at the book. "Okay, let's see…"

She continuously turned the pages for a few moments, until she finally stopped on one page.

"Aha!" She smiled. "Here we go!"

"Huh?" Crescent leaned over once more.

"The thing buried deep in the Earth that the Equestrian was talking about is called the Core. Like she said, this is what keeps the Earth in balance. It controls the seasons, the day and night cycle, the weather…everything."

Crescent's eyes widened. How did she not hear about this sooner?! This was incredible!

"But…" Pond Lily's expression became one of concern, and confusion. "She said it was… _damaged_ , right?"

"Y-yeah…" Crescent nodded.

"I'm not saying they're lying, but it's shocking that such a thing was even possible. It was hidden, right?"

"Well, I guess it wasn't c _ompletely_ hidden…considering that ponies know about it."

"True, but nopony should be able to reach it…" Pond Lily narrowed her eyes and her ears began to droop. "This is strange."

Crescent became increasingly worried as Pond Lily spoke. If nopony was supposed to be able to reach the Core, then how was it damaged? Who would be intelligent, strong, and powerful enough to even know where to look?

Was it even a pony? Was it a type of force? Infection?

"So…how _could_ it get infected, then?" she decided to ask. Surely the book had some info on it…

"Well…the book doesn't say much," Pond Lily replied.

 _Oh, for Okeasis's sake…_

"I mean, it does say that it can be infected, but so far, it hasn't been infected yet."

"So…basically, we have no info on what happened…" Crescent's ears drooped as she slowly processed this fact.

"We don't," Pond Lily sighed. "All we know is that we need the Spirit Crystal, according to your friend…" She closed the book, and looked at Crescent. "And you both plan to go into the Spirit Reef?"

"Yeah…and the reason I came here has to do with that…"

"What is it?" Pond Lily tilted her head.

"You see…in order to survive down there, we'd need a pony from every Reef…so—"

"So you wanted to ask me if I could join you and the others you have already recruited on your journey." Pond Lily nodded. "I'm more than eager to."

"S-say what?!" Crescent's jaw dropped. "First off, how did you guess…?!"

"Well, I'm assuming you haven't found someone from the Water Reef before you came here…"

"O-okay, that does make sense…but, are you sure about joining us?! It _is_ pretty dangerous…"

"Trust me, if I don't join, knowing the ponies around here, you might never find someone else."

"Well, a lot of people _did_ think I was crazy…"

Pond Lily sighed. "I knew that was the case when you thought I wouldn't believe you."

Crescent nodded, and stood up. "Well…I should be on my way. I don't want my Dad to worry because I was gone for two hours or something," she said, making the other Elesi giggle.

"My parents can be like that too, to be honest," Pond Lily said. "I know how you feel…"

Crescent smiled. "So…I'll see you in 4 days, that was when we'd be going to the Spirit Reef."

Pond Lily nodded. "Yeah, I'll see you then!"

As Crescent was walking out the door, she turned her head one last time, and saw Pond Lily incredibly focused on the same book they read together once more.

And she decided she was happy she came to this library in the first place.

 **Aqua: And that's Chapter 5!**

 **Solar: Next up, the Wind Reef!**

 **Me: And then the team is complete and we can start with the more interesting chapters!**

 **Summer: Until then, we'll work on other fanfictions that we haven't updated in a while!**

 **Winter: So, we're gonna end this note here!**

 **All: See ya!**


End file.
